Chapter 01 / Before coaching
Living the dream
I built a seven-figure business and lived what everyone calls the dream. Then I noticed I was making decisions out of fear, not out of passion for the business or the people around me.
Thommy Sandvick / Founder of UPGRADE Coaching
I'm Thommy.
With an H.
I built a seven-figure business, burnt out running it on fear, and found a better way through referrals and high performance habits. Now I coach entrepreneurs to become the person people naturally refer.
- Certified Referral Trainer
- High Performance Coach
- Event Producer
10years coaching
300+clients
200+events
01 / My story
From running on fear to running on referrals.
Six chapters, and the reason UPGRADE exists.
Chapter 02 / The turn
Burnt out
I had the business everyone says you want. What I didn't have was fulfillment. I was tired and reactive, and decisions that used to feel like growth started to feel like survival.
Chapter 03 / A better way
Referral Mastery
As a health and life insurance agent in Orlando, I found Michael J. Maher's (7L) Referral Mastery system. Within a year it had changed my business and my life, and I told that story on the Referrals Podcast.
Chapter 04 / Years of study
Learning what makes people referable
I spent years studying business growth, referrals, networking, community building and high performance habits, including the work of my friend Brendon Burchard. His High Performance Habits sit at the heart of what I teach, adapted for referrals.
Chapter 05 / UPGRADE
Turning it into coaching
I put all of it into my own coaching: UPGRADE. The lesson my clients learn is the one I learned first. Your referrals can only grow to the extent that you do.
10 years300+ clients
Chapter 06 / Building rooms
I don't just teach connection
I build it. The Orlando Brew Crew is the in-person networking group I started, Thrill the World Orlando gets people dancing Thriller together once a year, and the UPGRADE Community keeps clients connected online. They are rooms where people practise the habits together.
200+ events20+ at every Brew Crew
02 / What I stand for
Three words that turned out to be a business model.
I learned them from Michael J. Maher and the Generosity Generation. Every habit I coach comes back to them.
Love
Care about people before you know what they can do for you. People can tell the difference.
Generosity
Give first: referrals, time, credit. Will Craddock passed more than $500,000 in business to his BNI chapter, and it came back to him.
Appreciation
Say thank you in ways people remember. It is the cheapest marketing there is and the most overlooked.
03 / The people I coach
This is the part I love most.
Six UPGRADE clients, what they do, and the result they told me about.
Will Craddock
Mold remediation, first year in business
6x his expected first-year revenue
“Thommy taught me clarity and focus.”
Cynthia
Realtor
Production from $7M to $14M in one year
“I'm not chasing success anymore. I'm aligned with it.”
Jacqueline Toledo
Residential realtor, 20 years
13 under contract and 4 closings in one week
“Coach, I have 13 houses under contract and 4 closings this week.”
Lynne
Real estate, Columbia SC
Second-best month ever, after moving states
“You made me believe in myself more than I believed in myself.”
Kelley Rheault
Air Force veteran, founder of Purple Camo
From 3 to 14 referrals a month
Terri Mandigo
Owner, hemp wellness business
From $4k to $12k a month in sales
04 / Hear it from the source
On stage and on the mic.
Four episodes of the Referrals Podcast with Michael J. Maher, and the speaker reel.
Episode56Get Referrals Faster Than You Ever Dreamed PossibleMy story, from insurance agent to Referral MasteryEpisode376CRUSH IT! The Fastest Path to ReferralsWith Michael J. MaherEpisode393Margarita Mix and MingleThe Brew Crew on the future of networking eventsEpisode410A Referral MachineWith Steve McIlvanie
Next step
I'd love to be part of your story too.
Book a free discovery call and tell me where you are. Or take the Referral Habits Assessment first and bring your results.
Call or text407-225-5565